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Idioms and ExpressionsbyDavid HolmesA method for learning and remembering idioms and expressionsI wrote this model as a teaching device during the time I was working in Bangkok, Thailand, as a legal editor and language consultant, with one of the Big Four Legal and Taxcompanies, KPMG (during my afternoon job) after teaching at the university.When I had no legal documents to edit and no individual advising to do (which was quitefrequently) I would sit at my desk, (like some old character out of a Charles Dickens’novel) and prepare language materials to be used for helping professionals who hadlearned English as a second language—for even up to fifteen years in school—but whowere still unable to follow a movie in English, understand the World News on TV, orconverse in a colloquial style, because they’d never had a chance to hear and learn common, everyday expressions such as, “It’s a done deal!” or “Drop whatever you’re doing.”Because misunderstandings of such idioms and expressions frequently caused miscommunication between our management teams and foreign clients, I was asked to try to assist. I am happy to be able to share the materials that follow, such as they are, in the hopethat they may be of some use and benefit to others.The simple teaching device I used was three-fold:1. Make a note of an idiom/expression2. Define and explain it in understandable words (including synonyms.)3. Give at least three sample sentences to illustrate how the expression is used in context.For instance,Idiom: “It’s a done deal.”Definition: “We agree. Everything has been decided. We’re ready to sign the contract.”Examples:1. “The bank has confirmed the loan agreement, so It’s a done deal.”2. “The court has approved the restructuring plan, so it’s a done deal.”3. “The Senior Partner has signed my promotion papers, so it’s a done deal.”If a student came to me with an idiom he wanted explained, like “a rotten egg ” or “a little stinker,” we would follow the above formula, and we would work it through together,discussing and explaining the words and situations as we went along, to the point wherewe could finally get the student using the expression in sample sentences referring to lifesituations of his own.If a student was anxious to learn idiomatic expressions, on a broader range, in general, Iwould often encourage him just to open the book at any page and put his finger on thefirst expression which caught to his eye, and we would talk about that, often getting into alively conversation on the topic, sharing related incidents, anecdotes and stories, and dis-1
cussing the main issue or moral point of the day’s lesson—just letting itself roll out, likea ball of wool down a gentle incline.A word to the wise, however, is that students should learn only one idiom/expression at atime, because (as research indicates) if they learn seven in a row in fifteen minutes, theywon’t remember anything at all later on. It is better to do one thing well and hammer ithome until the learner has it clearly in his head and will be able to use it when he needs it.It is best for the student to use this book together with a native-speaking teacher becauseworking together is ten times easier than working alone. Some advanced students, however, may find that they can work with the text to their benefit on their own.The list of idioms and expressions below is by no means complete, and, indeed, as thereader will see, if he works far enough into the text, many idioms are merely noted andonly partially defined and explained,* as our website is still under construction. This needbe no problem, however, because the method we are practicing is a process intended as adevice for learning rather than a long list of idioms and definitions and examples to bememorized in the old-fashioned way.This technique is a working tool rather than a finished product. Indeed, in discussingwords which describe human situations, the best examples will be those that arise out ofstudent-teacher interaction, picking up on and developing the ideas that interest them. Aswith many things, once you are practicing the technique, you no longer need the book.Incidentally, the opinions and attitudes herein cited represent no unified point of view,but are, rather, quoted quite at random, the way different kinds of people talk in the worlddifferent ways—sometimes sensibly and sometimes arbitrarily—sometimes ignorantlyand sometimes wisely. So please feel free to agree or disagree with anything anyone saysor does in any situation depicted in this book. Please, don’t blame the present writer forthe way people talk or the things they say. Language is just a crude cultural convention.Who is to blame me for the ignorant and abusive things common people customarily say?Note also that every boxed-idiom can be used and expanded into a lesson in itself containing a main idea, with related vocabulary, and issues to define explain and discuss.The slower you go and the more you converse together on any single matter of interest ata one time, the better it is.Teachers should note that just even reading the sentences, phrases or words aloud can begood pronunciation and rhythm practice. Learning a language also means speaking so theless the teacher talks and the more he listens and prompts the better the results should be.At the very least, the text will provide a wide range of ideas to choose from for teachingvocabulary and related, real-life, conversation-discussion topics. If you see an idiom youdon’t want to teach, or is not appropriate for your audience, don’t bother with it. Do oneyou prefer instead.(*Editorial Note: an asterisk indicates that an idiom/expression has been noted and defined with at least three examples. No asterisk means the entry still needs work.)2
A B C D E G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y ZAIdioms and expressionsA backsliderA back-stabberA bad omenA baker’s dozenA ballpark figureDefinitions followed by examplesA lazy, irresponsible person who does not support acombines effort; someone who causes development toslide backwards rather than forwards; someone who can’tbe trusted to get a job done. “I see you have assignedCaptain Morgan to my project. He’s a no-good backslider who will hinder rather than further the success ofthe mission.” “Mallory is nothing but a backslider. He’snever done anything useful in his life that would bringcredit to his name or family.” “If I ever get my hands onthat backslider, Mullins, I will kick him in the backsidefor letting down his wife and children by wasting his lifeon gambling and drink.” *Just as a person may sneak up behind you to stick a knifein your back, so we can call a person a back-stabber whounexpectedly betrays your trust. “Be careful who youtrust, because even your best friend could turn out to be abackstabber.” “My first wife was a backbiting, backstabbing-bitch.” “I wouldn’t trust Charlie as far as Icould throw him. He’s a liar, a thief and a back-stabber.”*A bad sign which indicates that, when a bad thing happens, something even worse is going to happen. A signthat something bad or evil is going to come. “It’s a badomen that our son was born on Friday the thirteenth.”“They say it is a bad omen when a black cat crosses yourpath.” “It’s a bad omen when a voodoo witch smears, theblood of a chicken on your front door.” *It used to be an old English marketplace tradition to payfor twelve bread rolls, and get one extra one, thrown infor good measure, to make a total of thirteen. “In theLondon market, a baker’s dozen doesn’t mean twelve. Itmeans thirteen.” “Before Britain joined the Europeancommon market, people sold things by the dozen in unitsof twelve, or perhaps thirteen, if they gave the customer abaker’s dozen.” “We had thirteen children in our family,and father was fond of saying he had produced a baker’sdozen.”*A guess as to how many people are in a baseball or football stadium; an approximate estimate of how-many orhow-much. “I can’t tell you exactly how many spectatorscame to see the game, but if you want a ballpark figure,my estimate would be about sixty thousand.” “How3
much is this wedding reception going to cost? Can yougive me a ballpark figure?” “I hate it when people saythey will give me a ballpark figure. What I want is anexact number and not an approximate guess.” *A barefaced-lieA bold and brazen untruthful statement; a shameless, obvious lie. “Don’t try to tell me you gave the money tosome poor old woman. That’s a brazen and barefacedlie!” “When you claim you don’t desire other women, Ican see that you are telling a barefaced-lie.” “Don’t try todeny you stole the cookies; I know it is a bare-faced lie.”*A bee in her bonnetJust as woman with a bee in her hat (or bonnet) mightrun around, wildly, waving her hands in a panic, so wemay say that a woman with an angry idea in her head reacts in frantic and frightful manner. “My Mom has got abee in her bonnet about Father’s forgetting Valentine’sDay.” “Don’t run around like a woman with a bee in herbonnet just because someone said you are too tight andstingy.” “Aunt Caroline had a bee in her bonnet becausethe Ambassador had left her off the invitation list for Ladies’ Night.” *A bird in the hand is Be satisfied with what you’ve got; don’t dream of whatworth two in the bush.you have not. “If you let go of the bird that you have inyour hand in hopes of catching two in the bushes, youwill more than likely end-up empty-handed.” “It’s betterto be thankful for what little you have; than being disappointed by unfulfilled desire for twice as much, a bird inthe hand is worth two in the bush.” “Be content with theone thing that you have rather than be discontented bytwo things you desire but are unlikely to get because abird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” *A bit beyond my kenAbove my level of understanding; beyond my ability tograsp; more than I can comprehend; beyond my knowledge. “I could never understand the physics behind pressure points causing geological rifts on the sea-bed at thepoint where continental plates meet. It’s a bit beyond myken.” “The justification for Heisenberg’s uncertaintyprinciple is a bit beyond my ken.” “It is beyond my kenwhy and how a whole galaxy can be sucked together anddisappear into a black hole.” *A bit diceyA little risky; chancy; a gamble, as in a throw of the dice;uncertain; not totally honest. “I wouldn’t invest anymoney in such a chancy venture. It seems a bit dicey tome.” “Don’t take any risks in business. Bet on a surething and avoid anything that looks dicey.” “I wouldn’twant to trust Charlie as a business consultant: his longshot ideas always seem a bit dicey to me.” *A bit dodgyDishonest; tricky; dicey; dubious; chancy risky. “A busi-4
A bit muchA bit obtuseA bit on the sideA bit out of itA bloodsuckerness that dodges the law is a dodgy business.’ “Iwouldn’t invest money any of those pyramid schemes.They all seem a bit dodgy to me.” “It’s a bit risky to deposit money offshore in the hands of total strangers. Itsounds a bit dodgy to me.” *Over-exaggerated; over-stated; too flashy; over the top.“I found the accusations in your speech towards thePrime Minister a bit much, a bit over the top, I wouldsay.” “Appearing in court with pink hair and a ring inyour nose before the judge was a bit much. Don’t youthink?” “I think that your leaving your wife at homealone, while attending a public reception with anotherwoman, was a bit much!” *A little dull and stupid; incapable of understanding; a bitthick; slow-witted; a little too-dumb to understand. “Ididn’t understand you. I must be a bit obtuse. Can youexplain it to me again?” “Being obtuse is no excuse. Ifyou are too dull-witted to do this job, we’ll get someoneto replace you.” “You must be a bit obtuse if you can’teven understand how to follow simple orders and directions.” *When one has casual sexual relations outside the primarysexual partnership, we say that person is getting a bit onthe side. “Tom and Tina seem to be the perfect marriedcouple, but if Tina knew Tom was getting a bit on theside, she wouldn’t be so happy.” “My big sister, Kitty,says she wants to marry a rich, old man but keep a youngboyfriend, at the same time, so she can get a bit on theside.” “Men are always dreaming about getting a bit onthe side, but they would never dream that wives might bedreaming about the same thing.” *Mentally out of contact with the world; not quite allthere; not with it; out of the picture. “Excuse me, if Idon’t seem to be listening. Today I’m a bit out of it because of the drugs the doctor gave me.” “My girlfriendhas just broken-off with me. I can’t concentrate on mywork; I’m a bit out of it.” “Pay no attention to my idiotbrother. He’s a bit out of it; he’s not all there you know.”*Just as a leech sticks to you and sucks your blood, so another person may be said to stick to you, like a parasite,in order to obtain personal gain and benefit. “My firstwife drained my bank account, just in the way a leechsucks blood from the body. She was a real bloodsucker.”“Harvey’s wife, Lolita, is the kind of person who justwants to marry for money. She’s nothing but a bloodsucker.” “Don’t be such a bloodsucker, and stop leechingoff your friends all the time.” *5
A brainwaveA breath of fresh airA brush with deathA bum-steerA bundle of energy6An unexpected clever idea or insight; a stroke of genius;a sudden inspiration. “I had the brainwave of installing aBluetooth System in my car radio, connected to the GPS,which would allow the car to run more-or-less on autopilot. Tests begin tomorrow.” “Who was it who had thebrainwave to inflate big air balloons by burning nitrogen?” “Einstein was the genius who had the brainwavethat the speed of a moving particle in a relative relationship to another moving particle could be measured.” *Just as we feel better after going outside a stifling, suffocating, boring environment to get a breath of fresh air, soit can be refreshing when someone or something new enters into a stuffy atmosphere. “When Tony Blair, waselected, Prime Minister, he brought a breath of fresh airinto an otherwise conservative and boring, British political world.” “When young Jane joined the staff, she waslike a breath of fresh air in an otherwise, stuffy and stagnant atmosphere.” “It was a real breath of fresh air whenthe Judge called in Cheery Cherry, Mr. Wong’s, exgirlfriend, to the witness stand in to tell all she knew.” *A near accidental encounter with death; an incident inwhich one comes very close to dying. “While crossingthe street in Bangkok, yesterday, I had a close brush withdeath, when a speeding motorcyclist swerved barely intime to avoid hitting me head-on.” “The captain and crewof the submarine had a close brush with death, when aGerman torpedo, passed within half a meter of the portside of the hull.” “When I was mountain-climbing, I oncehad a brush with death, when I lost my footing and fellabout forty-five meters straight down through the air andwas only saved by my safety harness.” *Purposely give someone the wrong directions on how toget somewhere or how to do something; give incorrect orwrong information to lead someone on a false trail; tomislead someone by giving bad advice. “Because country folks, in Tennessee, don’t like city-slickers, they oftengive them a bum-steer if they stop their cars to ask fordirections.” “We were afraid the other rally team wouldreach the destination before us, so we purposely misledthen with a bum-steer to throw them off-track for awhile.” “My stock broker foolishly gave me a bum-steeron some risky stocks that declined dramatically in marketvalue.” *A person who is packed-full of power and energy.“President Kennedy was seen by many as a youthfulbundle of energy who was very enthusiastic and dedicated to the cause of equal rights and employed all hisspiritual and physical strength to fight for the cause of
A bundle of nervesA case in pointA case of the dropsyA cipherA clean breakA clean slatedemocracy.” “My little sister is a bundle of energy whodoes everything she can to make sure the get the job getsdone. “My Campaign manager, Mary Hines, has been areal bundle of energy, the moving force behind our political success.” *A person who is very stressed and jumpy. “I have beenunder so much pressure in the office and at home recently that I am little more than a bundle of nerves.”“Continued stress can turn you into a bundle of nerves.”“Before I have to give a presentation or speech, I am always a bundle of nerves.” *An actual example to illustrate; a factual act which illustrates the point; an instance used to prove or explain apoint. “There have been many female figures in the political world that have helped unite divergent factions. Acase in point would be Sonya Gandhi.” “Multi-nationalmergers can be beneficial to both sides. A case in pointwas the merger of KPMG with Arthur Andersen whichbrought benefits to both sides.” “Sometimes a son canfollow in his father’s footsteps right up into the highestlevel of political office. A case in point would be GeorgeBush Jr. holding the same post as George Bush Sr.” *When a person keeps dropping things, letting things slipand fall from his fingers, we say he has a case of thedropsy. “I keep dropping dishes on the kitchen floor. I’vegot a case of the dropsy.” “Oops! I dropped my keyagain. I’ve got a case of the dropsy.” “Because Grandfather has poor blood circulation and limited feeling in theends of his fingers, he keeps dropping things; it’s a classic example of the dropsy.” *An insignificant person; someone not even worthy of notice; a nothing and a no body. “You are a person of noaccount. No one cares in the least about you, because youare just a cipher!” “Sometimes, within the structure ofour company, I feel like nothing more than an insignificant statistic on a broad spread-sheet. I feel like such acipher.” “Her first husband was a real cipher; he wasabout as significant as a fly speck on the wall.” *A clear and final breaking-off of relations; finally finishing and leaving for good. “I want to leave the companyand make a clean break with the audit profession becauseI find it too stressful for me.” “My wife and I have decided to make a clean break, and go our own separateways.” “When I retired as a military man, I decided tomake a clean break with the past and to devote myself topeace and charity.” *Starting off with a clean record. i.e. after having confessed your wrong-doings and served your punishment.7
A clip over the earA close callA close shaveA crushing blowA crying-shameA cushy job8“My teacher says that once I have served my punishmentfor cheating, I will have erased my bad record and I canstart off with a clean slate.” “Now that I have served myprison sentence, I can start off with a clean slate and starta new and better life.” “Once a murder has done his timeand paid his debt to society, he is released from prisonwith a clean slate and allowed to rejoin society.” *A slap on the side of the head; a smack on the ear; a boxon the ear. “My son, if you don’t stop that noise I’ll giveyou a clip over the ear.” “Father says that if he evercatches me lying, he’ll give me a clip over the ear.” “I’llgive you a good clip over the ear if I ever hear you saying anything nasty like that again.” *A narrow escape; a close shave; a brush with danger,nearly missing death. “The pilot landed his plane on therunway, just as it was running out of fuel. It was quite aclose call.” “The bomb squad disarmed the explosive device just a few seconds before it was about to go off. Itwas a very close call.” “The farmer was rescue-lifted byhelicopter from the rooftop of his barn just as the nearbydam was about to burst. It was a close call.” *A close call; brush with danger; a near accident. “Mycousin, Clem, threw a hunting knife at me that whizzedso close by me under my ear that it nearly cut the whiskers from my cheek. That was a close shave.” “The enemyshot a missile at the plane which whistled by withininches of the fuselage, as the pilot was starting to loop toavoid impact. That was certainly a close shave, if thereever was one.” “Last night, in the warehouse, I had aclose shave with death, when the crane operator droppeda container that hit the ground in just in front of me.” *A hurtful action; a disappointing defeat; a strong setback.“When my wife packed-up and left me, it was a crushingblow.” “It was a crushing blow when I lost my job duringthe financial crisis.” “It was a crushing blow for the Conservative Party when the Liberals won the election.” *A pity; a disgrace; something unfair that makes us feelsorry for the victimized. “It’s a crying-shame so manychildren are dying of malnutrition throughout the world,while the rest of us become fat and overweight.” “It’s acrying shame the way a small minority is getting rich oncorruption, while the majority of the poor don’t have athe chance to earn a decent living.” “It’s a crying-shamethe way Malone spends all his time and money drinkingin the pub while making no effort to take care of his wifeand children.” *An easy job that is not demanding or difficult; a comfortable, enjoyable job that does not take too much effort.
A cut above the averageA drop in the bucketA drop in the oceanA dud“The managing director has given his mistress a nice,cushy job in his office, and the rest of the staff membersare feeling resentful” “My best friend has got a nice,cushy job in an air-conditioned office, while I have towork really hard, out in the heat of the day as a gardener.” “I wish I could get a nice cushy job where Iwouldn’t have too much to do and not very much responsibility” *Better than most; higher than normal; quite good compared to normal standards. “The new, young, foreigngraduates that we have been hiring are a cut above average because they have been trained in a more up-to-dateeducational system.” “Our work for the client must be acut above average if we want to stay competitive in themarket.” “Your son, Stan, is certainly a cut above average when compared to the rest of the students in class.” *A small part of the whole; very little compared to the total amount; a small fraction of the total sum “The amountthe government is investing in environmental research isa drop in the bucket compared to what it spends on national defense.” “Government aid of a million dollars forTsunami refugees is just a drop in the bucket in contrastto the huge amount that foreign non-government agencies are presently spending.” “The money I lost on gambling in Los Vegas is just a drop in the bucket comparedto the massive amount of income taxes I have to payevery year.” *Just a small amount compared to the size of the whole;only a little bit of the total quantity. “A million dollars isa drop in the ocean compared to the total amount neededto combat starvation and hunger in the Sudan.” “The little bit he gives to charity is just a drop in the ocean compared to money he wastes on drink and women.” “Whatthe company spends on staff development is just a dropin the ocean compared to what it spends on developingthe company image.” *Just as a bomb that has been dropped may fail to explodedue to a faulty triggering-device, so a plan, or performance may lack the necessary spark to fire the imaginationof the public. “The fireworks extravaganza was a disastrous disappointment, because the ignition devices didn’tgo off in sequence, so the whole show was a dud.” “Thehigh school opening performance of a Shakespeare’splay, Macbeth, failed to awaken the imagination of thestudent body. It was a real and total dud” “Even the mostexpensive film ever made by Hollywood would be a gigantic dud, if it didn’t feature big-name stars and a havea huge promotion budget.” *9
A fair crack atA chance to try your luck; an opportunity to fix or solvea problem; an opening or possibility to show how wellyou can do. “I know I could be a good movie actress if Iwere given a fair crack at it.” “If I were given a fair crackat solving the traffic problem, I’d have it fixed withinthree months.” “If I am given the chance of becoming thecompany managing director, I’m sure I’d be a success.All I need is a fair crack at it.” *A fat lot of good that will That won’t help much; won’t make matters better; won’tdo.do any good; won’t improve the situation. “You can invest another million in your business, but a fat lot ofgood that will do, if your cost of investment continues toexceed profits from sales.” “You can fill the tank of thecar with gas, but a fat lot of good that will do if you don’tget the fuel pump fixed as well.” “You may have a goodbusiness plan, but a fat lot of good that will do if youcan’t find the cash for the start-up costs.” *A fat lot you care!Indicates you know that the other person has no sympathy or understanding for you. “I’m falling apart emotionally because I’m disappointed about our love, but a fat lotyou care!” “Your hate and greed have driven me to destruction, but a fat lot you care!” “I’ve never beenthrough such terrible suffering in my life, but I can seeyou have absolutely no pity for me. A fat lot you care!” *A fate worse than deathSuffering that is so bad that dying would be easier ormaybe better. “Being in a state of insufferable pain formonths and months is a fate worse than death itself.”“Loving someone who is burning with hatred towardsyou can be compared with a fate worse than death” “It’spossible to argue that there is no fate worse than death,but being married to my wife would surely put you to thetest.” *A feather in your capJust as in the old days when hunters wore a fine-lookingfeather, stuck into the band of their caps, as a sign oftheir hunting skill, so, nowadays, we can say someonedeserves a feather in his cap when he has done somethingwell or worthy of recognition. “You deserve a feather inyour cap for all the time you have devoted to communityservice.” “Collins deserves a feather in his cap for solving the math problem in half the time it took the others.”“Winning a Nobel Prize is the highest modern-dayequivalent of wearing a feather in your cap.” *A feeding-frenzyJust as man-eating piranha fish will swarm to a chunk offlesh, which is thrown into the water, and have a feedingfrenzy, so “mass media reporters, for example, canswarm to the scene a and have a ‘feeding frenzy’ wherever a big star is involved in a public scandal.” “Thepress had a feeding frenzy when the big Tsunami hit10
A fine kettle of fishA fine state of affairs!A fly in the ointmentA freak of natureA free bit of adviceSouth East Asia, killing in excess of forty thousand victims.” “It is despicable the way that the press can create afeeding frenzy when disaster strikes, because the viewingaudience is hungry for information.” *Just as a pot of fish will begin to stink if it stands for toolong, so a problem that is neglected too long will be hardto fix; a mistake hard to remedy; a situation that is hardto get out of. “This is a fine kettle of fish. Our daughter ispregnant, her boyfriend is in jail, and nobody quiteknows what to do.” “Now you have got yourself into afine kettle of fish. You’ve been caught cheating just before graduation and there’s no excuse.” “It’s a fine kettleof fish. You need one million for bail and all your accounts have been frozen, so it’s a dilemma that cannot beresolved.” *A big problem; a situation that is hard to resolve; a set ofconditions that have been allowed to arise but cannot soeasily be made to cease. “This is a fine state of affairs!What are we going to say to your father when he findsout that you are in love with a married-man?” “This is afine state of affairs! How could you allow your financesto get into such a terrible mess?” “This is a fine state ofaffairs. Your father did not leave a last will and testamentand the family will be fighting over his assets for years tocome.” *Just as there can be a fly in the ointment or balm used asa medicine, so there can be a problem in what is seen asthe solution. “When there is a fly in the ointment, wemay still have to use it to treat the disease, but we don’tfeel perfectly happy with the cure.” “Well, we’ve found asolution regarding the transfer of funds, but there’s a flyin the ointment because there will be a tax increase offive percent.” “I got them to comply with the late payment agreement but there is a fly in the ointment becausethe agreement must be renegotiated before the next payment period.” *Something that happens that does not follow the usualpattern of nature. “A man born with one eye in the middle of his forehead is a freak of nature.” “It is hard to determine if someone born with mixed male and femalebody parts is a freak of nature.” “Even if a Tsunami tidalwave arises only once in a thousand years, it is not afreak occurrence. It is not a freak of nature because ithappens in accordance with the laws of nature.” *A suggestion given that isn’t requested; an unsolicitedopinion. “Let me give you a free bit of advice. ‘Next timeyou want to open your mouth, remember that the teethare at home when the mouth is closed.’” “Because I am11
A frog in your throatA funny feelingA good eggA good omenA greenhorn12older, let me give you a bit of free advice: ‘No older person ever gave any younger person any piece of usefuladvice’.” “I’ll give you a bit of free advice, ‘If you wantto stay out of trouble, don’t go around giving people bitsfree advice.” *Laryngitis; a physical condition that makes your voicesound deeper, as though you had a frog in your throat; orwhen you have a bad cold that makes your voice soundslike a low, hoarse croak. “Sorry, if you can’t hear me inthe back. I’ve got a frog in my throat and I cannot speakany more loudly.” “Mr. Peters cannot speak to you now.He’s got a frog in his throat, and has to rest his voice forthe speech he has got to give this evening.” “I’ve got tonsillitis and it makes me sound like I’ve got a frog in mythroat.” *A strange sense that something is wrong; a suspicion thatsomething bad
So please feel free to agree or disagree with anything anyone says or does in any situation depicted in this book. Please, don’t blame the present writer for . could throw him. He’s a liar, a thief and a back-stabber.” * A bad omen A bad sign which indicates that, when a bad thi
